The 30-year-old Edmore Masango, and Livious Ndlovu, 26, told Peter Ramothwala from Sowetan Live that they had been working on the citrus and tobacco farm for two years. On 5 December, they were forced to stop working due to severe weather conditions.

Masango said that they parked the tractors while waiting for the storm to subside, believing that to continue spraying the orange trees with pesticide would just be a waste. He explained:

“It was on a Wednesday in the afternoon when we were spraying pesticide chemicals on the orange trees when the weather changed. I told my colleagues to stop because it will be a waste to spray the chemical while the wind is blowing.”

Their employer arrived soon after that, enraged at finding them idle next to the field. He called referred to them as the k-word and allegedly attacked them with a pick handle. According to Ndlovu, the attack was so severe that he still only eats soft porridge.

“I have been struggling to swallow food. I only eat soft porridge because my mouth is swollen. I had to go to Groblersdal Hospital where I spent a night because they [medical personnel] had to stitch my head.”

Livious Ndlovu

Both Masango and Ndlovu claim that it was not the first incident, and they were frequently subjected to verbal assault over the past two years. The Sowetan reached out the farmer, Diaan Ras, who refused to comment because his “lawyer is still dealing with the police regarding the issue.”

Ras was arrested for assault last week and appeared in court on 6 December. The case is ongoing. We reached out to a spokesperson at the Marble Hall SAPS, who as unavailable for comment at the time of publishing.